Improvement in sheet-metal machines



W. H. BROCK.

SHEET METAL MACHINES.

Patented Aug.29, 1876.

N.PETERS. PHOTO-LWNOGRAPMER, wAsHmGoN. D C

p a MZ Ulvrrnn STATES PATENT; FFICE?.

' WILLIAM H. BnooK, or FLUsHINc, AssreNoR To JABEZ A. BosrWIcK,

' OF NEW YoRK,'N..Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHEET-METAL MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 181.630, dated August29, 1876 application filed March 20, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BROCK, ofFlushing, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have inventedan Improvement in Presses for the Heads of Sheet-Metal Cans, of whichthe following is a specification:

Sheet-metal cans have been made in a eubical form, with a head having aflange turned outwardlyaround the edge, and returned, so as to set uponthe end of the can, and the returned flange has been pressed together,so as to lock the edges ofthe sheet metal while being soldered, and forthis purpose V- shaped dies have been made, that: press at oppositeangles of the head, and smaller dies have been brought up to close theflange at the other two angles. In some instances both heads have beenintroduced and pressed simultaneously.

The four parts of the dies being brought toward the angles of the headsimultaneously, or nearly so, they have to be fitted with greataccuracy, andsometimes the varying thicknesses in the sheet metal willprevent the dies closing properly together, and under all circumstancesthere are marks upon the sheet metal, or tins or projections between thedies, which mar the appearance, and render the seam dicult to solder atthose places.

The object of my improvement is to press the folded sheet metal withentire uniformity along all the edges of the head ofthe can, and thusprevent the imperfections herein mentioned. I make the V-shapedangle-dies suiliciently long to lap, and two dies are brought up atopposite angles to press the fold in the sheet metal and then retire,and the other two dies are brought up to nish the pressing operation, sothat the entire edges of the head are equally acted upon, and I arrangethe mechanism so that one movement of the press performs all theoperations, and the smaller or rsecondary dies are given two motions, soas to act twice and insure the proper closing of the corners of the can.

In the drawing, Figure l is anelevation of the dies employed. Fig. 2 isa sectional plan, showing two ends of the can, and the means for actingupon them simultaneously; and

Fig. 3 is a section in larger size of the edges of the sheet metal ofthe head and sides of the can.v

. The head a of the can is made of sheet metal, that is pressed up by adie, or otherwise, with a returned lla-nge or folded rim, 2, thatextends all around the head, and the sides of the can are also'of sheetmetal, as shown at b.

The object of the improvement is to close down or compress firmly thefolded edges of the head, so as to cause them to grasp and hold theedges of the body of the can, as seen in Fig. 4.

The head-block c is of a size and shape to fit against' the head a,within the lfolded lrim 2, and the main V-shaped dies d and e areadapted to being pressed upon the rim 2, and compress the same againstthe head-block c. This has been done before, and in the drawing thehead-block c is shown as guided by the slotted bars ff, that connect'ttoV the dies d and e, but allow the parts tobe drawn apart sufficientlyfor inserting the /c/an with the head placed upon the body. Th spring hlifts the head-block c, and holds it nl, til the press brings down theV-shaped die d/upon the edges of thecan. This die d is connected to aplaten, df, that is operated by anysuitable press.

rEhe secondary dies l m are Iliade to slide upon the head c, and theyare V-shaped at their projecting rear surfaces, as seen in Fig. l, so asto act upon the folds at the opposite angles of the can, where the diesd and e do not act.

These V-shaped dies d e l 'm are too long to permit of their being allclosed at one time; therefore the secondary dies lm are rst closed bythe side bars n and o, that are connected to the head-block or platen d,and pass down within the stationary fingers rr,- and upon these bars no there are caln projections s, which, as

the bars and head-block are moved down, cause the bars a o to swinginwardly, and operate the dies lm, and the cam projections s pass belowthese lingers r, and allow the dies lm to open again by the action ofthe spring t before the dies d e press upon the rim 2 of the head c.

By this means the diesl e l m can be made to lap in their action uponthe rim, and hence any imperfection in the Work is avoided.

As the head-block is raised, the dies lm are brought together again, soas to give a second pressure, and insure the proper closing of thefolded rim.

When the press is made to act at both ends of the can simultaneously, itis necessary to nia-ke a portion movable, so as to allow for theintroduction ofthe can. I effect this object by connecting thehead-block c, by the arm u, to the fixed gudgeon t', s'o that the armcan be drawn back and forth upon the gudgeon, to move the head in andout, and turned around to swing' the head aside out of the Way whenintroducing or removing the can from between tl e dies.

In mac ines Where only one head is operated upon, the main and secondaryVfshaped dies act in the manner hereinbefore set forth.

I claim as my invention- 1. The V-shaped dies d e lm, arranged to act atthe corners of thc can and of the head-block c, and madetoo long toallow of their being closed at one time, in combination with the means,substantially as specified, for closing and then opening` rst one pairof dies and then the other in the same plane, substantially as setforth.

2. The side bars n o, with cam projections s, and the stationary fingersr, in combination with the secondary'dies l m and main dies d e,substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 15th day of March, A. D. 1876.

WILLIAM H. BROOK.

Witnesses:

GEO. T.y PINGKNEY, GHAs. H. SMITH.

